81 minutes at Devanahalli: Mock hijack tests Bangalore airport readiness

A mock hijack exercise was conducted at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) on Tuesday to test the preparedness of the aerodrome in dealing with unlawful interference with civil aviation operations and to validate its response plan in the case of such incidents.

The exercise commenced at 12.39 pm and ended at 2 pm. It involved simulation of hijacking of an aircraft and the aerodrome’s emergency responses and mechanisms in its wake.

The entire gamut of responses from the receipt of first information to resumption of normal operations was tested. Various stages like negotiations, passenger rescue and medical services, were simulated. Parallel functions were put to test in order to familiarise the individuals/agencies involved with their roles and responsibilities and ensure smooth communication and coordination between all agencies, as well as to ensure familiarity with procedures during such incidents.

A detailed debriefing session was held after the conclusion of the exercise to share the learnings from the experience.

Over 300 people participated in the exercise that was spread across locations at the airport: the airside, the terminal building and the landside airport offices.

BIA said that the exercise did not disrupt normal flight operations as it was carried out during the scheduled maintenance closure hours of the airport.